Paper Cranes
by Coinkitink
Summary: RinHaru. Love: A reason for living. A reason for dying. Their blessing...and their curse.


_"Haru-chan! Haru-chan! Look what I made!" A young Isuzu Sohma ran up to a young Hatsuharu Sohma, her dark eyes sparkling with glee. She proudly thrust out her hand, holding a small paper crane._

"_What is it?" Hatsuharu asked, tilting his head. _

"_It's a paper crane, silly!" Isuzu giggled, handing it to him. "You can have it." Hatsuharu looked at the paper crane for a moment, then smiled happily at Isuzu._

"_Thank you!" Hatsuharu said, beaming. "I'll keep it forever and ever!" Isuzu giggled again and took his free in hand in her own. _

"_It's only paper." She said, leading him outside to play. Then she paused and took the crane from him._

"_What are you doing?" Hatsuharu asked as Isuzu started writing something on the crane's wings. Isuzu threw the pencil she had used to one side and handed the crane back to Hatsuharu, he looked at it. Isuzu had written her name on one of the wings and Hatsuharu's on the other._

"_Now we'll be best friends forever!" Isuzu announced happily. "The crane will die if we aren't!"_

"_Really?" Hatsuharu asked, his eyes wide. Isuzu nodded, believing her own story._

"_Yup." Isuzu began walking again, pulling the black and white haired boy along. "Now c'mon! I wanna play!"_

"_Isuzu-chan…" Hatsuharu said, hesitantly. Isuzu turned to face him, tilting her head._

"_What?" She whined impatiently._

"_W…will we be best friend forever?" He asked nervously. _

"_Of course we will!" Isuzu said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She hugged him tightly. "You'll always be my best friend Hatsuharu…now c'mon!" Isuzu let go of Hatsuharu's hand and started to run away. Hatsuharu glanced at the tiny paper bird before chasing after her, laughing._

* * *

'_Now we'll be best friends forever!'_ Haru could remember the words as if they'd been said yesterday. He looked down at the paper crane, sitting on the palm of his hand.

'_The crane will die if we aren't!'_

Haru felt tears burn in the back of his eyes. Rin's voice rang through his head like a bell, so innocent, so happy, so full of life. He loved her more than anything; he worshipped the ground she walked on. She was his everything…he was drowning in her. But part of him, albeit a small part, could not help but resent her. Resent her for changing. For no longer being the bright-eyed little girl who would take him by the hand and run with him, chasing butterflies. It seemed like a lifetime since he'd heard her laugh. She used to laugh all the time. A fluttery tinkling laugh that made him feel warm inside. Now, he was lucky if he could get half a smile out of her. He was lucky if he could even see her.

Haru sighed, dropping the crane on the floor and covering his face with a shaking hand.

"What did I do wrong Rin?" He asked the empty room; suddenly he jumped up and smashed his fist against the wall in anger. "WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME ANYMORE?!"

* * *

Rin wrapped her arms around her waist and slid down the wall, tears threatening to spill.

_"Come on Isuzu." Hatsuharu said, holding Isuzu close. "Don't cry…it'll be okay."_

Rin shook her head angrily at the memory. She couldn't even remember why she had been crying that day. No doubt it was over something insignificant; maybe she'd fallen over, or lost something. It didn't matter anyway. All that mattered was that Haru had always been there.

'_He'd still be here if you hadn't pushed him away.'_ Said a spiteful voice inside Rin's head.

"I had no choice!" She told it, tears beginning to fall. "It's…better this way." Rin began to shake with suppressed sobs. She had never wanted to hurt Haru. Hurting him hurt her just as much. She just wanted him to be safe…at any cost. The cost for his safety this time had been his and her happiness. Now all Rin could do was pray. Pray that he moved on…pray that he forgot about her.

But she couldn't stop the traitorous voice in the back of her mind. The voice that prayed he would never forget about her. The voice that prayed he would never stop loving her…because if he stopped loving her she had nothing. And if there was one thing she couldn't handle it was nothingness.

* * *

**A/N. Thanks for reading! I'm not sure if I should continue with this or just leave it as a one-shot. Any opinions?**


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